I’m a programmer who uses a minimal operating system. Why do I need a desktop? Can’t I use a laptop with a docking station connected to a monitor? What are the downsides of the approach?
I’m a programmer who uses a minimal operating system. Why do I need a desktop...
Oliver King
Samuel Peterson
>I’m a programmer who uses a minimal operating system.
good for you
>Why do I need a desktop?
You don't
>Can’t I use a laptop with a docking station connected to a monitor?
Yes
>What are the downsides of the approach?
Upgradability, if it matters to you
Jayden Martinez
You can do that...it just costs a lot more and will be significantly slower per dollar spent. And those USB docks are much less reliable than the old e port docks.
Alexander Cook
>Professional programmer
>Can't make his own person computing preference decision
Your obviously not a programmer fuck off
Mason Bennett
>USB port docks are much less reliable than the old e port docks
Please explain.
Jason Long
I’m a electrical engineering Eng.D (Ph.D) student. Jow Forums is a good place to post shit like this because low-quality posts like this are the norm on Jow Forums since 2010.
Camden Davis
there aren't really any downsides if you find the good cheap laptop deals on ebay. desktops are for gaymer fags and laptops play any games i'll ever want (mostly roms/isos of games I played as a kid, aka the target audience of video games)
Christopher Campbell
My company always gives me a macbook pro, so I always have one of those and don't have a personal laptop, only a beefy windows desktop for games or intense computation.
I don't really like doing shady stuff on my work laptop. I connect both computers to an ultrawide monitor with a built in kvm. I can switch the screen, keyboard, and mouse between the two by pressing a button. I can also show both computers side by side at the same time (still need to push a button to switch keyboard and mouse between them). The monitor also charges my MacBook through usbc.
It's a very cushy setup, but the kvm is a little flakey.
Leo Evans
God I fucking hate KVMs
t. dealing with constant KVM problems at work
Carter Williams
The built in one is a bit better than the standalone ones I've dealt with. They all seem to be missing one crucial requirement, are expensive as fuck, or are just cheap outdated chink shit.
Easton Perry
>I’m a electrical engineering Eng.D (Ph.D) student
>I'm a electrical
>a electrical
no you aren't
Asher Turner
They are holding us back from a beautiful office where 90%+s of workstations are using Displayport, in addition to the mess of cables they create.
Jason Flores
Build a kawaii Mini-ITX pc
Logan Anderson
Programmer's job is to program, not to fiddle with irrelevant task like picking some hardwares.
Blake Long
What does missing the letter “n” have anything to do with anything.
Jackson Rivera
Bit racist bro
Brody Brown
and if not video games what do you do for entertainment?
Matthew Anderson
Not the guy you replied to but I have these at work.
Basically the old docs connect directly to the motherboard with no extra software involved - it is like you have more physical ports on the computer. I've been using one for 2 years and never had an issue.
A coworker has the new dock which is an external device from computers point of view and often shits itself because of software issues e.g. you may to plug it in and out a few times to have an external monitor or charging working. It has gotten better after some updates but still unacceptable IMO.
Caleb Sullivan
Have these exact docks at work.
Works with Dell 5510, and my personal Lenovo X1Y Gen2. Does NOT work properly with an MBP because they don't support DP MST. Works fine OOTB in Windows and Linux (gnome anyway, in i3 I had to write an xdandr script).
Honestly, once you've tried it, it's the only way to live. One cable, easy to plug in, don't have to align the body with the dock. Meeting - unplug and go. Come back - plug in and continue working.
I also used an Aorus eGPU for 1.5 years, was a bit hit and miss, and you don't get full performance, but great for consolidation of multiple machines into one.
Nolan Reyes
You can, but it'll kill your laptop battery over time. I know, because Verizon made us work with laptops in docking stations.
Another thing is my last job required working on high performance GPUs. You don't get those in laptops, or it'll set you back 3 to 4 times what you pay for a desktop.
Jaxon Russell
I stopped using a desktop when I lost interest in playing video games.
Now I just use a 12" Elitebook with a docking station, it's pretty fucking good.
Sebastian Jones
>Can’t I use a laptop with a docking station connected to a monitor?
if youre keeping a laptop docked with a monitor all the time is that not a desktop?
Kayden Cook
stx is cuter
Jayden Torres
I can confirm this. Our work laptops have always been docked via proprietary ports on the bottom rear of the laptops but the most recent round of laptop refreshes gave us ones that don't have this Port. The docks are usb-c now and shit themselves fairly regularly.
Aaron Clark
Laptop with WiFi AC + a good file server is all I've used for years.
Oliver Taylor
>I’m a programmer who uses a minimal operating system.
okay.
>Why do I need a desktop?
you don't. no one does.
>Can’t I use a laptop with a docking station connected to a monitor?
you can use whatever computing paradigm you can afford, user. this is America.
>What are the downsides of the approach?
I have no idea because i'm not a. From my perspective though there are none. for my computing purposes, as a lawn gnome juggling enthusiast, my computer doesn't need to be powerful, it just needs to act as a text editor/remote terminal/internet browser so that I can order more lawn gnomes from Amazon; although I imagine that being a programmer is a lot like being a lawn gnome juggler, only with less dignity, so the same things probably apply.
Brody Sanders
you shouldn't be here.
you should be studying for your qualifier.
GET OFF THE INTERNET AND STUDY.
t. ECE PhD candidate